Internal-combustion engine



D. L. WICKERSHAM INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAma. I919.

1 56,576, Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

amid L Wz'clem/zam UNETED STATES INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL L. WICKER- SHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Patoka, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,

such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification. v

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in explosive or internal combustion engines of that type wherein a pair of pistons are arranged in tandem upon a piston rod so that said'pistons operate in unison and for the conjoint transmission of power to the engine shaft, and said pistons operating in a single cylinder provided with separate combustion chambers. The principal objects of my invention are, to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the existing types of internal combustion engines; to produce an engine having a comparatively high degree of efficiency; to materially reduce the number of operating parts ordinarily required upon internal combustion engines; and further, to produce an engine which is economical in the consumption .of fuel.

A further object of my invention is to provide an internal combustion englne V wherein the explosion or combustion of vapor in one combustion chamber is effec tive in compressing the charge of combustible vapor in the other combustion chamber, thereby producing a counterbalanced construction, with the result that the engine operates at uniform speed and with mini-- mum vibration.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain'novel 7 features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accom- V panying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is avertical section taken length- ;wise through the center of an engine of my 7 improved construction.

Fig. 2 1s a cross section taken approxl- .mately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

. Referring by numerals to the ac'company- TE P DANIEL L. 'WIGKERSI-IAM, OF IEATOKA, ILLINOIS. I

Spedficafim Letters Patent Patented ea. 26, 1920. Application filed March 8, 1919. serial No. a

ing drawings," which illustrate a practical embodiment of'iny invention, 10 designates the engine cylinder, the wall of which is provided with a chamber'll adapted to recelve'a circulating cooling medium such as water, and secured in any suitable manner to-the ends of this cylindera're heads 12 and 13, the latter'being provided with; a packed bearing 14 through which the piston rod 15 operates. V Arrangedwithinthe cylinder at a point midway between its ends is a partition wall 16 provided with a packed'bearing 17 for the piston rod and thus the space within the cylinder is divided into a pair of combustion chambers 18. p

Carried by the piston rod'15 and arranged for operation within the combustion chambers 18 are pistons 19, the same being provided with suitable packing rings 20. These pistons are arranged on the rod 15 so that when one of said pistons is at the inner end of the combustion chamber in which it operates or immediatelyadjacent to the partitionf wall '16, the other piston is positioned in the outer portion of the combustion chamber. in which it operates or adjacent to one wall of cylinder10 ijs acentrally arranged longitudinally extending duct or passage-- way 23, the ends thereof communicating with ports-24, the latter leading from the combustion chambers 18 at points near their centers, that is, at points approximately half-way between the partition16 and the heads 12 and 14.

Formed through the wall of the cylinder. and leading from the central portion of duct 23 is an exhaust'port 25, and'le ading therefrom is an'exhaust pipe 26, the same being provided with a suitable outlet check. valve (not shown). 1 j

Formed in the wall of cylinder lO'and preferably directly opposite to the duct 23 is a pair of ducts or passageways 27, the inner. ends thereof communicating with the combustion chambers 18 immediately adjacent to partition wall 16. The outer ends ofthese ducts 27 communicate'with ports 28 which lead into the combustion chambers each of which is provided with a springj held intake check valve 32. Seated in the wall of the cylinder 10 immediately adjacent I to heads 12 and 14 are spark plugs 33, the electrodes of which extend into the combustion chambers 18.

It will be understood-that piston 15 is connected to a crank shaft in the usual manner and that the spark plugs intermittently receive current from a storage battery or the like through a suitable timing device, and further, thatintake manifold 30 leads from a carbureter and which latter, is sup plied with liquid hydrocarbon which, when vaporized and mixed with air, forms the explosive or combustible mixture for the enine. c 7

As the engine operates, each piston 19'0n its movement away from the partition 16 and toward the head on the corresponding end of the cylinder opens the check valve 32 which controls the port 29 leading to the combustion chamber in which the piston is operating, and as a result, a charge of combustible vapor is drawn into that portion of the combustion chamber between ,the inner end of the piston and the partition wall 16. This charge of' combustible gas cannot escape from the chamber into which it is thus drawn, during the movement of the piston toward the head on the end of the cylinder,by reason oflthe fact that the piston covers ports 24 and 2S and likewise covers said ports for the greater portion of its return movement toward the partition wall 16. During this return movement of the piston, the charge of'combustible vapor will be compressed to a certain extent, and when the piston.reaches its inward limit of movement'towa-rd partition 16,port 28 is wholly uncovered or in register with pocket 21 whereupon the partially compressed charge 7 in front of the piston or between the piston through port 28 and pocket'21 into the outer I portion of the combustion chamber or that portion adjacent to the head on the end of the cylinder. In thus passing into the outer portion of the combustion chamber, the com-' bustible vaporwill force before it the proclucts of combustion and burnt gases resulting from the priorexplosion within the combustion chamber out through port 24, pas- V sageway 23,'and port 25 to exhaust pipe 26.

Upon the succeeding outward movement of the piston or 'themovement toward the combustible vapor will be compressed between the outer face of the piston and the adjacent head on the cylinder and at the point of highest compression or an instant later, the timing apparatus associated with the spark plug projecting into this combustion chamber, will act to produce a spark between the electrodes of the spark plug, with the result that the compressed charge of vapor will be ignited, thereby forcing the piston inwardly toward the partition wall 16, thus producing the power stroke.

Thus, by my improved arrangement, the power stroke of each piston'is utilized for compressing the explosive charge in the combustion chamber in which the other one'of the pistons is operating, and likewisev the power stroke of each piston is utilized for to and through the exhaust pipe.

Inasmuch as the combustible charges drawn into the combustion chambers of the engine are compressed at the end of each power stroke imparted to the pistons, the latter are to a considerable extent, cushioned at the ends of such power strokes, and as aresult, the action of one piston is counterbalanced by the other, and'very little, if any,

vibration is developed during operation.

The pocket 21 in each piston is comparatively short so that when the combustible vapor is forced into said pocket and from thence into'the combustion chamber, it will a be directed into the upper portionof said chamber from whence it will pass uniformly downward through the chamber and expelder engine can be constructed in accordance withmy invention and where thisis done, it is only necessary to duplicate or'multiply the construction herein illustrated and described and connect in a manner well known in the'art, all of the piston rods with an ordinary crank shaft.

An engine of my improved construction is comparatively simple, can be easily and cheaply manufactured, is very compact, comprises but few operating parts,"is effective inproducing maximum power with minimum weight, and, therefore, can be advantageo'usly utilized wherever uniform-:driving power is needed and particularly'upon m0- tor vehicles, motor boats, flying machines, and the like. I I j I c It will be readily understoodrthat minor changes in the size, form and construction of thevarious parts of my improved engine can-be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of whichis set forth in the app nded claim.

I claim:

In an engine of the class described, a cylinder provided with a centrally arranged partition which divides the space within said cylinder into separate combustion chambers, a piston operating in each chamber, a piston rod connected to both pistons, there being inlet ports formed through the Wall of the cylinder adjacent to the partition, there being an outlet port formed through the wall of the cylinder intermediate the ends of each combustion chamber, there beingpassageways formed through the wall of the cylinder independent of the inlet ports and leading from points adjacent to the partition toports communicating with the combustion chambers and arranged intermediate the ends thereof, and the outer faces of the pistons being provided with pockets which are adapted to communicate with the last mentioned ports and the exhaust ports leading from the combustion chambers.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature this 5th da of March, 1919.

DANIEL WICKERSHAM. 

